


Nothing Dull About It

by coneygoil



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, smolcup, smolstrid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 01:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15570279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coneygoil/pseuds/coneygoil
Summary: Astrid wants to spent more time alone with Hiccup and uses her axe as an excuse.





	Nothing Dull About It

“Your axe looks dull.”

It all started with a simple observation during dragon training. Astrid had followed Hiccup to the smithy, chatting about how the training had gone that day. They got along well during training and when they hung out together with the other teens. But in the weeks after the battle with the Red Death, they hadn’t had the opportunity to spend any time alone together.

As they chatted on the way to the smithy – Toothless and Stormfly trailing behind them having their own little conversation, Astrid found she enjoyed talking with Hiccup. There was something about Hiccup Haddack that piqued her interest, and she was glad they were getting to know each other.

Though a lot of his decisions in the recent past were questionable, Astrid found that Hiccup was a smart guy. She could have a normal conversation with him. He didn’t talk nonsense like the twins or boast puff-chested like Snotlout or throw facts at you at rapid speed like Fishlegs.

Hiccup’s quirkiness also amused her. He had his own kind of sense of humor that Astrid didn’t think she would appreciate, but he could get her to laugh every now and then.

A tiny little spark ignited in Astrid that she couldn’t quite define. All she knew was that she enjoyed being around Hiccup, and she wanted to hang out with him more away from dragon training. Just the two of them.

But every time she tried, the other riders some how invited themselves to join them. Astrid pondered for days over how in Thor’s name she would get some one on one time with Hiccup. She threw her axe at a tree, frustrated that she couldn’t come up with a good excuse. As she yanked the axe free, an idea struck her. She examined her axe, the blade nicked but sharp. Last time she had alone time with Hiccup was when they strolled to the smithy to sharpen her axe.

Astrid grinned. She knew exactly what to do.

It was a crazy idea, but it was less nerve-racking than just asking Hiccup to hang out with her. So, she did everything she could think of to dull her axe blade, including chopping down a small tree.  

“Hey Hiccup,” she called to him after training, “do you have time to sharpen my axe?”

Hiccup glanced at her axe head keenly. “Didn’t I just sharpen it?”

“I use it,” Astrid replied far too quickly, “a lot.”

Hiccup accepted the lame excuse and they casually strolled to the smithy chatting away about training and dragons and all was right with the world.

Since the idea actually worked, Astrid continued her mission, working hard to make sure her axe needed a good sharpening as frequently as possible. And she was happy with the results. Even after the task was finished, her and Hiccup would hang out at the smithy, warming their hands by the forge. Hiccup showed her his sketches he kept in the back room and all the weapons he’d worked on before befriending dragons and new inventions he was creating.

Hiccup was no fool. After a couple lame excuses, he caught on to what she was up to and the little butterflies began to flutter. He wasn’t sure if she liked him as a friend or more, but whatever it was, Hiccup was happy to just hang out with Astrid.

“Is that a little nick on your axe blade?” Hiccup asked after dragon training one afternoon. He had a feeling Astrid was going to mention her “dull” axe; it had become like clockwork every week, and he wanted to save her the trouble.

Astrid checked out her blade. “Y’know, there is a nick,” she nodded in a most satisfactory way, “good eye, Hiccup.”

Somewhere along the way they stop visiting the smithy, and “your axe looks dull” becomes code for, “lets sneak off together”. They never speak of their little secret language and what it’s used for; it’s an unspoken routine that they’re happy with.


End file.
